Land
Size, shape and altitude
How big is it, really?
Sweden fits inside the DR Congo 4.4 times.
DR Congo: 2,344,860 km² (2023) · Sweden: 528,660 km² (2023)
How much coast is there?
Sweden’s coastline is 87 times as long as the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 37 km (2026 edition) · Sweden: 3,218 km (2026 edition)
How high can you climb?
The DR Congo’s highest peak towers 3,010 m above Sweden’s.
DR Congo: 5,110 m (2026 edition) · Sweden: 2,100 m (2026 edition)
People
Who lives there, and how closely
How many people live there?
The DR Congo has 11 times as many people as Sweden.
DR Congo: 113 million (2025) · Sweden: 10.6 million (2025)
How crowded is it?
The DR Congo is 91% more densely populated than Sweden.
DR Congo: 50 per km² (2025) · Sweden: 26 per km² (2025)
How tall are the men?
Men in Sweden are 11.9 cm taller than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 168.6 cm (2019) · Sweden: 180.5 cm (2019)
How tall are the women?
Women in Sweden are 10.4 cm taller than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 156.3 cm (2019) · Sweden: 166.7 cm (2019)
How old is the typical person?
The typical person in Sweden is 24 years older than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 15.8 years (2023) · Sweden: 39.9 years (2023)
How many children per woman?
Women in the DR Congo have 4.6 more children on average than in Sweden.
DR Congo: 5.98 children per woman (2024) · Sweden: 1.43 children per woman (2024)
How many people are 65 or older?
21% of people in Sweden are 65 or older, versus 3.1% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.1% (2025) · Sweden: 20.9% (2025)
How many Nobel laureates were born there?
Sweden has produced 28.3 Nobel laureates per 10 million people, the DR Congo 0.1.
DR Congo: 0.1 (2025) · Sweden: 28.3 (2025)
How many official languages?
The DR Congo has 5 official languages, Sweden 1.
DR Congo: 5 (2026) · Sweden: 1 (2026)
Money
What an economy looks like per person
How big is the economy?
Sweden’s economy is 7.3 times the size of the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: $91 billion (2025) · Sweden: $669 billion (2025)
How much is produced per person?
Sweden produces 38 times as much per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: Int$1,920 (2025) · Sweden: Int$72,529 (2025)
How evenly is income shared?
Income is more unequally shared in the DR Congo than in Sweden (Gini 15.4 points higher).
DR Congo: 44.7 (2020) · Sweden: 29.3 (2023)
How many people are looking for work?
Unemployment is 8.7% in Sweden, versus 4.4% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 4.4% (2025) · Sweden: 8.7% (2025)
How much goes to the military?
Sweden spends 2.0% of its GDP on the military, the DR Congo 1.2%.
DR Congo: 1.2% (2024) · Sweden: 2% (2024)
How expensive is it?
Sweden’s price level (US = 100) is 2.1× the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 42% (2025) · Sweden: 87% (2025)
Health
Long lives, small beginnings
How much is spent on health?
Sweden spends 277 times as much on health per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: $23 (2023) · Sweden: $6,485 (2024)
How long do people live?
People in Sweden live 22 years longer than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 62.1 years (2024) · Sweden: 84.1 years (2024)
How many babies don’t reach their first birthday?
A baby in the DR Congo is 28 times as likely to die before turning one as in Sweden.
DR Congo: 56.4 per 1,000 (2024) · Sweden: 2 per 1,000 (2024)
How many doctors are there?
Sweden has 21 times as many doctors per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.2 per 1,000 (2022) · Sweden: 4.4 per 1,000 (2021)
How common is obesity?
19% of adults in Sweden are obese, versus 5.9% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 5.9% (2024) · Sweden: 18.7% (2024)
How many adults smoke?
20% of adults in Sweden smoke, versus 12% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 12.3% (2024) · Sweden: 20.3% (2024)
Everyday life
Plates, glasses and happiness
How do people rate their lives?
People in Sweden rate their lives 3.49 points higher than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.76 (2025) · Sweden: 7.26 (2025)
How much do people drink?
Adults in Sweden drink 5.4 times as much alcohol as in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 1.6 litres (2023) · Sweden: 8.7 litres (2023)
How much meat is on the menu?
Sweden has 20 times as much meat per person as the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 3.5 kg (2023) · Sweden: 68.4 kg (2023)
How much food is there per day?
Sweden has 1,352 kcal more food per person per day than the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 2,015 kcal (2023) · Sweden: 3,367 kcal (2023)
How long do people work?
Workers in the DR Congo put in 409 more hours a year than in Sweden.
DR Congo: 1,841 hours (2023) · Sweden: 1,432 hours (2023)
How long do people go to school?
Adults in Sweden went to school 5.4 years longer than in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 7.4 years (2023) · Sweden: 12.7 years (2023)
How many tourists visit?
Sweden welcomed 123 times as many tourists per resident as the DR Congo (2019).
DR Congo: 0.01 (2019) · Sweden: 0.63 (2022)
Connected
Online, electrified, urban
How many people are online?
96% of people in Sweden are online, versus 20% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 20% (2024) · Sweden: 96% (2025)
Who has electricity at home?
100% of people in Sweden have electricity, versus 23% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 22.5% (2024) · Sweden: 100% (2024)
How many live in cities?
89% of people in Sweden live in cities, versus 45% in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 45% (2025) · Sweden: 89% (2025)
How many phones per person?
Sweden has 141 mobile subscriptions per 100 people, the DR Congo 59.
DR Congo: 59 (2024) · Sweden: 141 (2024)
How much railway is there?
Sweden’s railway network is 2.7 times as long as the DR Congo’s.
DR Congo: 3,641 km (2021) · Sweden: 9,714 km (2021)
How much do they fly?
Airlines from Sweden fly 181 times as many passengers per resident as those from the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.01 (2023) · Sweden: 1.85 (2023)
Planet
Air, forests and energy
How much of the land is forest?
Forest covers 69% of Sweden, but only 54% of the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 54.2% (2023) · Sweden: 68.7% (2023)
How much CO₂ does each person emit?
The average person in Sweden emits 66 times as much CO₂ as someone in the DR Congo.
DR Congo: 0.1 t (2024) · Sweden: 3.6 t (2024)
How green is the power grid?
100% of the DR Congo’s electricity is renewable, versus 71% in Sweden.
DR Congo: 100% (2024) · Sweden: 71.2% (2025)
How clean is the air?
The air in the DR Congo carries 7.2 times as much fine dust as in Sweden.
DR Congo: 41.2 µg/m³ (2024) · Sweden: 5.7 µg/m³ (2024)
Safety
Measured risk, not vibes
How common is murder?
DR Congo: no data · Sweden: 1.1 per 100k (2023)
How dangerous are the roads?
Roads in the DR Congo are 7.8 times as deadly as in Sweden.
DR Congo: 16.3 per 100k (2021) · Sweden: 2.1 per 100k (2021)
Climate
What the year feels like
How warm is it?
The DR Congo is on average 20.5 °C warmer than Sweden.
DR Congo: 24.8°C (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 4.3°C (2016–2025 avg)
How much rain falls?
The DR Congo gets 83% more rain than Sweden.
DR Congo: 1,469 mm (2016–2025 avg) · Sweden: 801 mm (2016–2025 avg)
Quick answers
Is the DR Congo bigger than Sweden?
The DR Congo is larger. Sweden fits inside the DR Congo 4.4 times.
Which has more people, the DR Congo or Sweden?
The DR Congo has 11 times as many people as Sweden (2025 estimates).
Where do people live longer, the DR Congo or Sweden?
People in Sweden live 22 years longer than in the DR Congo. Life expectancy at birth is 62.1 years in the DR Congo and 84.1 in Sweden.
Are people taller in the DR Congo or Sweden?
Men in Sweden are 11.9 cm taller than in the DR Congo (NCD-RisC, cohort born 2019).
